Army of Terror brings to a conclusion the over-arching story that Whitman has been teasing since the second book. Each book up to (and including) this one has been about an experiment that an Imperial scientist has developed to take over the universe. Here, Zak and Tash stumble across the final experiment, which involves developing an army of ultra-strong warriors. Who the scientist is, and how he relates to them, is as surprising as the mystery itself.

Still, the mystery is self-evident. Anyone paying attention would know where the threat lies, and it’s odd that Zak and Tash are oblivious to it, especially when you consider Tash’s Force-sensitivity. Early in the book, I thought maybe Whitman was playing with the reader’s expectations, and creating a red herring, but nope, what you see is what you get. I was a little disappointed, but it’s my own fault; he hasn’t taken that approach to a story thus far in the series, so I don’t know why I would have thought he was starting here.

Whitman brings the larger story to a close here, which is odd since there are still six books left in the series. I’m curious to see how he approaches the final books. I wouldn’t be surprised if he attempted another connection between the books, but since each book has still been an individual adventure, it would be better if he skipped that part all together. At least readers won’t be distracted by their odd beginnings and endings.

"'I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. 'When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'"